Drain cleaner



Patented Oct. 24, 1939 Partner ortica DRAIN CLEANER Claude Horwitz, Rose Bay, near Sydney, New

South Wales, Australia Application August 16, 1937, Serial No. 159,423 In Australia August 22, 1936 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in means for freeing obstructions from waste pipes of'sinks, drains and the'like. v

The blockage, or partial blockage, of sink,

5' drain and the likewaste pipes is a frequent source of nuisance and annoyance causing the sink or drain tol iiood with waste material of an insanitary land frequently disgusting nature. Heretofore the freeingv of such blocked or partlo ly blocked waste pipes has been a task requiring vsome considerable time thereby rendering any water supply situated above the associated sink or ldrain inoperative until the blockage has been disposedy of. Such a task is invariably an un- 'pleasant one and frequently the relief enjoyed is onlyftemporary since the waste pipe is not completely freed from the obstructing material but merely a passage made through the obstruction of suilicient size to allowflow to ensue.y As a result a further blockage israpt to occur after a comparatively short time.l

Amongst the objects of the present invention are to produce a means for freeing blocked or partially blocked waste pipes of sinks, drains and 215 the likewhich is simple, eective and rapid and which does not require the dismantling oi any portion oi the waste pipe system as has been the case heretofore.

The present invention relates to apparatus capable of rm and` duid-tight attachment to mouths of waste pipes. of varying size and located at rvarying angles the said apparatus being adapted to receive a hose or pipe from a source of iluid supply such as an overhead tap, in such manner that a duid-tight connection exists between the source of uid supply and the waste pipe for thepurpose of directing a head oi fluidv from the fluid source to the waste pipe so that the pressure thereoi may impinge upon the ob- .40 struction in the waste pipe and thereby remove it. The connection between the source of fluid supply and the waste pipe concerned is capable rof ready assembly or detachment.`

In the drawing, which illustrates an approved form of the invention,

fluid supply, such as a tap, to which is attached a lead, such as a flexible hose I6, firmly attached to the tap I5 by means of a suitable union, such as the device designated generally by the numeral Il. The hose I6 is firmly attached at its lower end, as by a clamp i8, to a housing IIJ. U5 The housing I0 is adapted to be firmly attached to a waste pipe I! by means of screw-threaded rods i2 bent or hooked as at I3 to grip the grille le of the waste pipe II. 2G is a band or ring provided with a medially disposed bar member 10 it cast in or otherwise iirmly attached to the band or ring 2li. The bar member I9 is provided with slots 2| through which the screwthreaded rods i2 are adapted to project, 22 are washers and 23 nuts for the screw-threaded l5 rods I2.

The slots 2| are preferably comparatively wide to allow transverse movement of the rods I2 in order to accommodate them to grilles I4 of varying sizes. The bar member preferably includes f2() a spaced bridge piece 36 slotted at 3l. This retains rods l2 with nuts 23 in association with the bar member when the device is not in use and prevents the rods I2 from slipping free. The tops 24 of the rods I2 may be wedge shaped and @5 the wedge may point in the direction of the hooks l 3 in order to show at a glance how the hooks I3 lie with regard to the grille I4. 25 is a central rod or shank adapted to be attached to the bar member I9. As shown in the drawing, the rod 30 25 is attached to bar member I9 by fixed rod 26 but it may be otherwise attached, as by screwthreading. The rod Z5 is preferably allowed a small amount of lateral play at its base as shown at 38 and 39. This allows the housing II) to be 35 located at a slight angle if necessary as when applying the device to a waste pipe orice situated near the wall of a sink or basin. The bar 25, which is screw-threaded as shown at 21, passes through opening 35 in housing Il! and functions 40 to rmly attach housing lll to the assembly through nut 28 impinging on washers 29 and 30.

30 is preferably a resilient washer. The base of the housing I0, which encircles ring or band 20, rides upon a resilient washer 3|, suitably at- 45 tached thereto as in a flange 32. 33 is a branch arm for the accommodation of the hose I6. 34

is a fragmentary detail of a sink or basin.

In operation band or ring 20 is placed about the oriiice of the waste pipe II and rods I2 are 50 adjusted until they grip beneath the bars` of grille I4 whereupon nuts 23 are tensioned to give a rm attachment of the rods I2 beneath the bars of the grille I4 so as to firmly attach the band or ring 20 about the waste pipe orifice. 55

If rod 25 is afIiXed to bar member I9 it will be already in position, otherwise it is located by screwing into bar member I9 or otherwise attaching it thereto. Rod 25 is preferably capable of slight lateral play to allow the housing I to be disposed at a slight angle in the case where the waste pipe orifice is located near the side wall of a sink or basin. Housing I0 is now placed about band or ring 20 and, in this position, rod 25 projects through opening 35 and receives washers 29 and 3B and nut 28. At this position resilient washer 3l, located circumferentially of the base of the housing IU, surrounds the band or ring 2U and orifice of the waste pipe I I and, upon tensioning of the nut 28, a fluid-tight'joint is made by the resilient washer 3|. Washer 30 is also of a nature adapted to form a fluid-tight seal. Hose I6 is attached at its upper end to tap I by suitable means, such as attachment I1, and at its lower end to branch arm 33, as by clamp I8. There now exists a direct fluid-tight channel from the tap to the waste pipe and, when the tap is turned on, the pressure head of water from the tap is applied directly through the waste pipe to the obstruction existing therein and by its force functions to remove the obstruction within a short space of time.

Having thus described and ascertained my said invention and the manner in which it is to be performed, I declare that what I Claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Apparatus for flushing the outlets of sinks, drains and the like including an annular support for disposition on the outlet adjacent the outer edge thereof, a slotted bar member carried transversely of the support, waste pipe guard engaging hooks adjustably suspended from the slotted bar member for anchoring the support on the outlet, a rod operatively connected to the bar member, a casing closely surrounding the support and having water-tight engagement with the outlet and having an inlet adapted to receive a hose and having an opening in the top for engagement about the rod, and means' detachably engaged about .the projecting end of the rod for clamping the casing in water-tight engagement with the outlet.

- 2. Apparatus for ilushing the outlet pipes of sinks, drains and the like including an annular ring-like support for disposition lon the mouth of the outlet pipe, a slotted bar member carried transversely and medially of the support, elongated and threaded Waste pipe guard engaging hooks arranged in the slotted bar member, tensioning nuts engaged about the threaded portions of the hooks and with the bar member for f maintaining the hooks in clamped engagement and for anchoring the support in position, a transverse and slotted bridge member carried with the top of the 'support and through which the upper ends of the hooks project for cooperating with the nuts and preventing accidental disengagement lof the hooks when the device is not in use, a central stud integral with the bar member and the bridge member, a rod having its inner end pivotally connected to the stud and its outer extremity threaded, a casing closely surrounding the support having an inlet adapted to receive a housing and having an opening in the top for engagement about the threaded extremity of the rod, an annular sealing washer carried by the lower edge of the casing, and means detachably engaged with the threaded projecting end of the rod for clamping the casing in water-tight engagement with the outlet. y

3. Apparatus for the purpose vof enabling uid lpressure to be applied to the outlet pipes of sinks,

drains and the like of the type wherein fluid is forced through a housing which is attached about the mouth of said outlet pipes characterized in that the housing is aiiixed in place by apparatus consisting of a ring, a medially disposed slotted bar member carried transversely of the ring, a slotted bridge carried with the ring above the bar member, adjustably mounted hook-ended screw threaded rods riding in the slots of said bar and bridge, tensioning` nuts engaged withthe rods and disposed between and retained against displacement by said bar and bridge, wedged tops on said rods pointing in the direction ofthe hooked ends thereof, and another rod pivotally `attached centrally of said bar` and bridge and having means on its upper. end to tension it against the housing.

.y CLAUDE I-IORWITZ 

